DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCE MONITORING STRATEGIES FOR THE LAKE DEPOSITS OF COPPER CANYON, DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA, USA: THE FIRST EFFORT TO ESTABLISH THE CRITICAL ELEMENTS FOR MONITORING IN SITU PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IN NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AREAS

Paleontological resources have been identified at 161 National Parks, yet in 2002 only 31 parks reported goals to manage/monitor these resources. The Geological Resources Division of the NPS has developed procedures and protocols for the inventory, monitoring, and conceptual models for management of paleontological resources. This study is designed to test the application of a standardized set of protocols for the management/monitoring of paleontological resources. Death Valley National Park preserves one of the richest and most diverse Cenozoic vertebrate trace fossil assemblages in North America. Twenty-seven ichnospecies of cat, camel, horse, mastodon, and bird tracks have been identified from the lacustrine facies of the Copper Canyon basin. These tracks are especially important because they represent a diverse fauna of large terrestial mammals, many of which have no known body counterparts. Little has been written on the depositional environments of these sediments and there are no set monitoring protocols that will permit the development of the appropriate procedures for the management of this important scientific and public educational aspect of the Park. The Copper Canyon track locality is a perfect setting to test the implementation of management protocols of in situ paleontological resources. Before monitoring and appropriate management strategies of paleontological resources can be implemented the paleontological resources must be: first, scientifically studied to evaluate the types and diversity, distribution (both geographically and stratigraphically) and preservation of the fossils, along with the rock type in which they are preserved and its erosion potential. Proper and complete description of the fossils is needed to determine their scientific significance and potential for public education. These steps are critical for the development of standardized protocols for the monitoring and development of appropriate management strategies. Through a permit, formal description and development of management/monitoring protocols of the Copper Canyon basin deposits will be undertaken over the next few years. This study will be used as the basis for a consistent approach for managing paleontological resources within the National Park Service and land managed by other agencies.